“Faith & Forgiveness”
If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Luke 17:3-5
I come by holding grudges pretty naturally. My grandfather lived with us for a while shortly before he passed. One day he was reading the paper from his hometown (Punxsutawney, PA), and while perusing the obituaries, he came across someone he had once done some work for. Apparently, 30 or more years earlier, this person didn’t pay my grandfather (a carpenter) in full for a job. My grandfather, not one to let go of things quickly, read the obituary aloud to us and then declared, “He’s paying his bills now!” To my grandfather, the fact that this man (in his late 80s at this point) had passed away was a result of him cheating my grandfather out of some small sum of money many years earlier (and not the fact that everyone eventually dies).
When I get to the passages in the Gospels where Jesus teaches about the need for us to be willing to forgive others to receive forgiveness ourselves, I get a little defensive. “What if they don’t deserve it? What if they don’t even admit they are wrong? What if I know they will do it again? What if I just don’t want to?”
While reading in Luke this week, I was struck not by Jesus’ instructions about the imperative to forgive, but by the disciples’ response. In response to Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness, even for those who repeatedly sin against you, the disciples ask for an increase in their faith. They don’t ask for open minds, or kinder hearts, or to be more understanding, they ask for an increase in their faith.
While I’ve thought a lot about being a person who more naturally and freely offers grace and forgiveness, I don’t know that I’ve ever made the connection between forgiveness and faith. What this scripture says to me is that there is a direct link between forgiving others, letting go of grudges or hurts or whatever slights I might feel, and my faith in God. If I can trust that God forgives me of all the things I need forgiveness for, then why do I not offer that same grace to those who offend me in much slighter ways?
I encourage you, the next time you are wronged by someone and face a chance to offer grace, to ask God for the faith to trust in the grace given so freely to you.
Blessings, Chris
Mission
To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Vision
Nelson Memorial UMC seeks to be a place where all God’s broken, hurting, and imperfect children discover wholeness and community while experiencing the warm and welcoming love of Jesus Christ. We seek to connect with one another to grow in our knowledge and love of God, to encourage each person to live out their unique calling to serve God, and to make a difference in the Boonville community and throughout the world.
Priorities
Developing and Nurturing Faith in Children and Youth
Fostering Growth and Community in Worship and Small Groups
Provide Opportunities to Serve God in Boonville and Beyond
Worship This Week
This Sunday we conclude our Lenten Message Series – Resilience: Forging A Stronger Faith. This week we focus on the need to cool off through rest and sabbath. Our Scripture reading will be from the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verses 1 through 14.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every action under the heavens:
A time to be born and a time to die,
A time to plant and a time to uproot,
A time to kill and a time to heal,
A time to tear down and a time to build,
A time to week and a time to laugh
A time to mourn and a time to dance,
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
A time to search and a time to give up,
A time to keep and a time to throw away,
A time to tear and a time to mend,
A time to be silent and a time to speak,
A time to love and a time to hate,
A time for war and a time for peace.
What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil – this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.“
Our Gathering Song will be Church (Take Me Back) by Cochren & Co. Our opening song will be I’ll Fly Away, followed by Be Thou My Vision, and Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. The Praise Band will lead our first 2 songs at the 10:20 service. This Weekend we will also observe Palm Sunday.
Virtual Worship Information
In addition to in-person worship, our service will be live-streamed. The service can be viewed on our Facebook Page. The service will start at approximately 10:20 am with our Gathering Song. Additionally, we post a recording of our messages to our website by early Sunday afternoon.
Announcements
Holy Week March 24 thru March 30
Palm Sunday Dinner – The Education Team will be hosting a carry-in dinner for Palm Sunday, March 24th, after the morning worship services. There will be an Easter egg hunt for the children while the food is being put on the serving tables and readied for the dinner. Each child who participates will be given a bag of wrapped candies.
To ensure a good variety of foods, we request the following distribution:
Family names A to H: Dessert
Family names I to Q: Side Dish
Family names R to Z: Salads
Church Cleanup/Work Day – Everyone is invited to join in for some Spring cleaning around the church on Saturday, March 30th. We are going to wipe down the pews, straighten up the common areas and get the church ready for company on Easter Sunday. Please join us at 8:30. Donuts will be provided.
Ministerial Alliance Community Easter Service
The Boonslick Area Ministerial Alliance will hold its annual Community Easter Service this coming Tuesday, March 26 at 6:30 pm at the River of Life Church (1430 W. Ashley Road). Make plans to join this night where we come together as a community to Praise God and celebrate Christ’s coming Resurrection.
Easter Cards for Elders & Friends – This year again we are asking the congregation to mail out Easter cards or other greeting cards with your own personal Easter greeting. The addresses for the names listed below will be located on the refreshment table or the counter next to the front entrances.
Jack Bell, Frances Bradley, Virginia Brownfield, John Chipley, Ada Gingrich, Margaret Hopkins, Elise Langkop, Virginia Littwiller, Phyllis Otis, Gene and Donna Reagan, Bart Riley, Carol Schenck, Leona Schmidt, Helen Taylor, Hessie Watts, and Dorothy Whitten.
We know all the recipients will experience a special Easter blessing because of the thoughtfulness of all those who participate in this endeavor. Thank you for remembering these special people.
How does an hour of singing your heart out to God sound? Our Praise Band will host their first “Night of Praise” on Sunday evening, April 7 at 7:00 pm. Invite your friends and family to join us as we gather to praise God in song. You will not want to miss this holy moment.
Help Wanted – While we are searching for a Nursery Coordinator, we are looking for a group of 5 or 6 volunteers who would be willing to help in the nursery on a rotating basis. Requirements for this position include being 21 years old or older and participating in our Safe Gatherings training and background screening. If you or someone you know are interested, please contact Pastor Chris for more information or to apply.
Adult Mission Trip – April 2024 – We are planning to return to the Western Kentucky area to continue with cleanup help from a tornado that hit that area in 2021. The trip will take place during the week of April 14, 2024. If you are interested in joining our group and wish for more information, please contact Bill Salyer, Tim VonEngeln or Larry Long for details. No one under the age of 18 will be allowed on the work sites without an accompanying parent or guardian.
Simple Suppers – We are bringing back Wednesday Evening Meals at Nelson Memorial this Spring and Fall, and we’re calling them Simple Suppers. Acts 2 tells us that every day the church gathered together and broke bread and shared fellowship. The focus of these Simple Suppers is going to be on following this pattern. For 8 Wednesdays in a row, beginning April 10, we will gather in the Fellowship Hall for a simple meal – soups, sandwiches, etc. Following the meal a small group growth opportunity will be offered. Everyone is welcome to participate. Please speak with Cindy Koch if you have any questions or would like to help with these meals.
Events this week:
Saturday, March 23: Methodist Men Sagrada Retreat/Workday
Sunday, March 24: Palm Sunday Dinner and Easter Egg Hunt, Following Worship, Fellowship Hall
Lenten Small Group, 6:30 pm, Gordon’s Home
Monday, March 25: TOPS, 9:15 am, Lounge
Al-Anon Meeting, 8:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, March 26: Salvation Army Board Meeting, Noon, Creation Station
Wednesday, March 27: Women’s Bible Study, 10 am, Lounge
Al-Anon, Noon, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, March 28: Maundy Thursday Service, 7:00 pm, Sanctuary
Choir Rehearsal, 8:00 pm, Sanctuary
Friday, March 29: Good Friday Service, 7:00 pm, Sanctuary
Al-Anon, 7:00 pm, Fellowship Hall
Saturday, March 30: Church Cleanup/Work Day, 8:30 am, Lounge
Closing Words of Wisdom:
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.